The Shadow of Gravity
by FourTiredEyes
Summary: Follow the journey that two mages take to learn more about themselves and each other, and with Fairy Tail beside them surely nothing could go wrong... right? Please R&R written by Jake
1. Chapter 1: The prologue of Drake

The prologue of Drake

The Forests outside of Magnolia were peaceful this time of year, the trees were still ripe with the smells of summer. Many couples often took strolls in the woods, to clear their heads and other things. Although people are told not to stray from the designated paths as otherwise they would not be responsible for any injuries or worse. Although some people didn't care and met their end. People could survive depending on their power.

A great example of such a person is Makarov Dreyar, one of the ten wizard saints and leader of the infamous Fairy Tail guild. He often walks along the dense forests, his tiny feet plodding across the many fallen trees and animal droppings. The old man of tiny stature never understood the meaning of such danger and laughed in the face of any Gorian who dares to face him.

One day while ignoring rules again he sensed an unusual amount of predators, unconscious in a heap, blood scattered the ground.

"What could have done this" Makarov muttered his eyes following the traces of blood and animal fur. He bent down (which isn't very far) to touch the blood. "Still warm" he noted. Curious he walked along the trail, to find the owner of said blood. Hopefully with most of it in its body.

A while later Makarov emerged into a small clearing, having heard the animalistic growls of a hungry wolf. Checking out the clearing his eyes widened in shock, he saw a young boy no older than ten, with multiple wounds on his body. His most prominent one being on his shoulder, which was gushing dangerous levels of blood onto the lush forest floor.

The boy was slowly backing away from the mass of grey in front of him, the red eyes kept staring at the bloody shoulder and at his limp with great pleasure. The boy was breathing heavily, barely able to keep his eyes open, he slumped to the ground, collapsing from a mixture of blood loss and exhaustion.

Makarov shook himself out of his foolish daze, before actually deciding to save the injured boy. He activated his titan magic, to himself into a small giant and launched his fist at the one closest to the soon to be meal. The creature went flying through the forest canopy with a silent cry. The others turned their heads towards the behemoth, very shortly they made their escape, scrambling over each other in complete desperation.

Reverting to his normal, pint-sized form (not that many told him that) he walked up to the now worryingly still boy. Placing a hand on his wound the body flinched with pain. Relief washing over him at the fact he was still alive, he reactivated his titan magic and lumbered his way over to a place he knew all too well.

To say that Makarovs entrance may have surprised someone is an understatement, but he clearly didn't know who he was dealing with. After a lengthy lecture about how to properly greet someone (focused on how not to hand someone a severely injured body on greeting). With an embarrassingly large and prominent glowing bruise on his forehead he looked out the window next to the injured child who had finally started to breath normally.

Some time passed to which Makarov all lost due to his mind lost in the beauty of the forest. How the leaves rustled almost silently in the trees above, blades of grass swayed in the afternoon breeze, like some hypnotic dance you just can't turn away from.

His attention was shaken from the picturesque scene I front of him to the groans of a confused child. The child in question attempted to sit up but brought upon a painful wince. Porlyusica quickly strode to the child and scolded him for being an idiot. Makarov was worried the child would take offence, but either he didn't notice or didn't care.

Porlyusica walked up to him.

"He'll be ok to walk as from today" The healer said in a harsh voice "I don't care what you do with him but get him out of here"

Makarov looked over at the boy who had apparently heard the conservation and was in the process of standing up. He went to stop the boy from possibly injuring himself, but apart from a few winces he was walking fine. He stopped by Porlyusica

"I am grateful for your hospitality and treatment" The young boy said in an oddly monotone dry voice "I understand if I have been a bother but I never planned to stay here" and with that he made his way to the door. Makarov stood there confused before quickly chasing after the boy.

It wasn't long before Makarov caught up, considering the boy had a bit of a limp. Once next to him he wasted no time asking questions.

"Why were you in the forest alone?" Makarov questioned

"I was travelling" answered the boy in the same tone

"How old are you?"

The boy seemed to think about that for a few seconds. "Does he not know his age" thought Makarov in disbelief

"Ten" the boy answered dryly

"Ten and you're traveling alone!" Makarov retorted angrily, when the boy didn't answer he sighed and continued to walk. After a few minutes Makarov spoke up again

"What's your name?" asked Makarov. The boy stopped as if he had sensed a predator, his eyes went wide and Makarov sensed magical energy overflowing from him, as he calmed down the energy seemed to dissipate, leaving a confused old man staring at a young child.

"My name…." said the boy in a more confused tone now but somehow keeping the monotone "is Drake, Drake Magnus" Makarov smiled at that, a smile which Drake did not return. Drake kept a straight face even when entering the city of Magnolia. Eventually though Drake did speak "You were the person who saved my life right?"

"Yes" Makarov answered

Suddenly Drake was on one knee, with his head done low "Then I must repay the debt" Drake said rather loudly

"W-What there is no…" Makarov started

"There is a need" Drake replied s the general public stared at them with odd looks on their face. Makarov saw the determination in Drakes eyes which shone brightly in his emerald green eyes

"You may repay the debt by joining my guild" Makarov replied keeping a serious tone about him

"Whatever you say" Drake answered

"If you don't like it you may leave" told Makarov

I assure you that will never happen" pledged Drake

"Ill hold you to that" Makarov joked which Drake clearly missed.

Makarov couldn't help but think about how Drake could possibly fit in. He wasn't like the majority that's for sure. He looked at Drake whose eyes didn't show any sign of nervousness or fear or anything really. "We'll just have to wait and see I suppose" The master thought as the doors opened and the sound of drunken laughter and cheers and furniture being destroyed could be heard.


	2. Chapter 2: The prologue of Tobi

a/n: We will be following the anime not the manga, just thought I should make that clear

The Prologue of Tobi

The small Master of FairyTail angrily battered away the various hanging vines and bramble branches that were constantly invading his personal space. His tiny feet slowly trudged up the muddy slope that seemed to become steeper with every step. Four hours had passed since he had started the climb up Mount Hekabade (AN: yes, I did make up that name), and as of yet there was no sign of his journey ending.

The pain in his legs urged him to use his enlargement magic, so that this little expedition could come finish quickly, however, that could frighten off the objective of this request from the magic council. Apparently, there was a mage with unusual capabilities hiding out in the wilderness, someone with power that grabbed the attention of several dark guilds; and now the magic council. Unfortunately, it would seem that the guards who would normally do this kind of thing were all far too busy, so they had decided to send Makarov, one of the 10 wizard saints, on a manhunt. 'Strange' he mused, 'I don't remember signing up to be their personal lap dog…'

Suddenly, Makarov felt something that made his body stop mid-step. His eyes darted around the area, searching for the cause. They came to stop by a large rose bush that was radiating a small, yet dangerous, amount of dark magic. Grumbling something about it taking long enough, he moved off the 'path' that he had been on and started following the scattered trail of dark magic.

While he was glad that his tracking skills had finally paid off, he couldn't help but be reminded of what he had found the last time he had sensed this magic only a few days previously. The images in his head were of blood stains, heads that had been torn from their necks and the mindless ramblings of a lone dark mage who swore that the Devils Daughter would surely be the death of them all.

'The Devils Daughter' thought Makarov, 'yes, that's what they are calling her and with good reason. This mysterious mage has not only defeated, she has destroyed all those who have attempted to apprehend her.'

With that thought he came upon a clearing the held a similar sight to the one he had seen a few days earlier. Only this time the mages were alive, unconscious, but alive.

He continued cautiously, unable to find the mage responsible for this. Suddenly, he spotted a small, hooded figure crouched in the undergrowth opposite him.

Her face was obscured, but he could feel her eyes staring intently at him. Looking closer, he realised she was shaking.

"My name is Makarov Dreyar, guild master of FairyTail," he waited for a reply or sign of recognition. None came.

"The magic council had become interested in your abilities and the dark guilds fixation with you. It is their opinion that you should go and explain yourself to them"

Again silence.

Makarov glanced around him at the bodies and the seemingly random pattern of destruction around the clearing. "Your control over your abilities does not seem to be very strong. Who trained you?"

It was a bold move, but he hoped a direct question would prompt the mage opposite him to answer, preferably in a non-violent manner.

She didn't move, but a brief moment of quiet she replied, "no one".

His breath caught as he realised that this voice was one of a child, although it sounded as though it hadn't been used in a while.

"I see. That would explain some things"

The figure, or girl you might say, shuffled a little in her spot, "What do you think?" she asked quietly.

He blinked, "Excuse me"

"You said that the magic council thinks I should go to them. What does Makarov Dreyar of FairyTail think?"

Makarov smiled his famous, can't-trust-anyone?-well-you-can-trust-me smile and replied, "Screw the council. You don't need a lecture or a penalty for something that you clearly can't control, you need a family. You need people who will train you and love you for who you are. I think you should join FairyTail."

The child stood up, revealing just how small she actually was, although her face remained hidden beneath the hood. She was wearing a loose, but not baggy, long-sleeved, black t-shirt with a black sleeveless leather jacket with hood. Her trousers were also black and loose, tucked into (again!) black boots. At the end of her shirtsleeves were leather bracers, which were right now down by her sides supporting clenched fists, as though she was still shaking inside even though she had stopped showing it.

"But…but I killed people" she spat out the words as though they were hot, iron nails.

"Did you mean too?" Makarov asked, taking a few steps closer to the girl.

"Never," she whispered, "I never meant to…"

She trailed off, as though waiting for him to start condemning her. Makarov moved until he was only a few metres away, then continued, "We all have things we regret in out pasts, whether they were intentional or not at the time. In order to best atone for these sins, you must first forgive yourself. Once you have done this, you can then strive to become something greater then you were before."

The child was silent for a long time. A soft wind blew around the two small figures, playing with their clothes. The girl's hood was blown back, revealing long, blond hair with black streaks framing a heart-shaped face. Her eyes were two different colours, the left a brilliant blue and the right a scarlet red, but they both held such sadness and loneliness that they made Makarov want to hunt down all those who brought about her pain with a pitchfork.

He took a step closer, but her reaction now was to instantly step back, fear flashing through her eyes. The shadows behind her emitted a darker aura then before.

Makarov stepped back, an apologetic smile on his face. "If you come to FairyTail, you won't have to hide anymore. You'll have a new family."

"A new family…" the girl mumbled, while nervously playing with her hair, "I think I'd like that"

The Guild Master of FairyTail grinned like a Cheshire cat. "What would you like us to call you?"

She paused for a moment, a frown appearing on her face, "T…Tobi" was the reply. "I would like you to call me Tobi"

They had travelled together for two days. First by foot down Mount Hekabade and then by train to Magnolia city. Tobi hadn't said much since their first conversation, but Makarov had more than made up for her quietness by endlessly moaning about the guilds antics in the recent months. He had also mentioned that the guild would pay for her first two months at Fairy hills, so that she could find her feet. Makarov hadn't pried too much into her past, as it was something she clearly wasn't ready for yet.

However, he did know that she was fourteen years old and that something so terrible had happened to her that she would never allow anyone to touch her.


	3. Chapter 3: A Blonde Impression

A Blonde Impression

Carefully sipping her coffee, Tobi flipped over another page of the book she was 'reading'. After all, if anyone knew that she had actually read the book a hundred times before and was secretly observing the noisy, overzealous guildhall… well, they might get the (obviously) mistaken impression that she actually cared.

Ok, so _maybe_ she doesn't mind Master, the (very) short fellow had given her a home after all. She supposed Mirajane wasn't terrible and her demonic aura could rival her own, which had helped a lot in her first few years here. Tobi suppressed a shudder as she remembered the look Mirajane had given her after she had punched Elfman through a wall… but he _had_ been yelling "man" in her ear for at least five minutes.

The rest of them were annoying and constantly getting in her personal space, which she just could not handle at all and the culprit would normally be flung across the room by her Shadow Whip. Usually, that was somehow the fault of a certain fire dragon slayer and an ice mage, although thankfully the former of the two was currently out searching for his dragon, Igneal.

No. The only reason she was watching her guild mates was because she preferred to know exactly where everyone was all the time. However, as that would be impractical she had settled for just checking every few minutes. Cana was drinking somewhere between her seventh or eighth barrel of alcohol today, when it was only 10 in the morning. Erza was still on a mission, Loke had his arms wrapped around two girls and Drake was sitting at the bar talking to Mirajane.

Nodding to herself that everything was as it should be, Tobi took another sip of coffee and read the next page of her book.

Drake took another sip of beer, occasionally raising his head to talk to Mirajane, who he had recently became quite good friends with. But then who wasn't friends with Mira she just gave off a friendly, trustworthy vibe.

"Have you noticed how quiet it is here recently" Mira asked him. Drake looked around the guildhall, well it really isn't what most people would call quiet, people were still drunkenly cheering people, but Drake had to agree it was quiet for their standards.

"Of course it is" he replied "Natsu is off looking for his dragon again"

"Probably explains why there hasn't been any brawls recently" Mira replied in a matter of fact tone.

Nodding to that he pulled up his staff to the table and started to clean it. The guild long stopped asking him why, much to Drakes satisfaction. Although he never understood why they asked in the first place

"_Surely people understand that a weapon needs to be properly maintained_" he thought as he forcefully scrubbed out a bit of dried blood. He carried on for a few minutes before putting it back by his side, easily in arms reach. He picked up his beer again and quickly downed it.

Suddenly, the Guild doors were threw open and a pink-haired teenager with a blue flying cat burst in.

"We made it back alive!" yelled the boy, always the drama queen.

"We're home" called his cat.

Tobi's eyes narrowed slightly beneath her hood. The dragon-slaying pyro named Natsu and his flying pet named Happy were back. Great.

Just behind them was a blonde, teenaged girl with large, brown eyes who seemed to have freaked-out/wonder/shocked expression on her face. Following the strange females line of sight, Tobi realised that Natsu Dragneel hadn't been back 30 seconds, and had already started a brawl.

'I swear', she thought darkly, 'If I get hit by something again, be it human, animal or object, I _will_ kill him.

Drake groaned at Natsu's fated arrival, hearing his over enthusiastic, loud voice made him want to crush his lips together so he couldn't speak. Instead of fulfilling his increasing dark and disturbing fantasies he quickly worked up a protective gravity shield for the projectiles that would eventually come his way.

He looked up to talk to Mira, but to his surprise she was gone.

He spun around on his bar stool and tried to look passed the dust cloud of fighting. "She can't take part in the brawl so where is she" he muttered to himself. He eventually saw her talking to some blond he had never saw, who had a bewildered, I can't believe this is happening face.

"Oh God no" he whispered in horror "Another newbie" he slammed his head against the bar "And I bet she's only here because of Sorcerer Weekly" he muttered, shuddering at the name of the godforsaken magazine.

As the fighting intensified he had finally had enough.

"If anything comes anywhere near me somebody goings through a wall!" he threatened activating his own gravity magic. Thankfully the master stopped it scaring the newbie blond out of her skin, which he found satisfying. After the masters speech he started to mull about what to do for the rest of the day. Until he heard somebody sit next to him.

"Hi" a female voice said chirpily, He turned to find the blond with a smile on her face attempting to talk to him, He muttered a greeting back not wanting to speak with the happy, almost thrilled voice.

"My names Lucy" Lucy spoke

Realising she was expecting a reply he reluctantly answered back "Drake Magnus" At that name Lucy gasped "You're in Sorcerer Weekly"

"_Of course_" he thought darkly. "Listen don't expect the guild or the people in it to act like what is said in that magazine" he told the girl "If you can't handle that I recommend you leave" he pointed to the door for emphasis. He heard Lucy mutter something that he couldn't quite hear and leave to talk to Natsu with godly amounts of enthusiasm.

"_Why the hell those she act like that_" he thought confused "_This isn't a place for children no matter what the master says!_"

His thoughts were quickly shut down by the sound of the job board getting smashed… again. He turned to see Natsu walking out the guild hall without speaking thankfully with the newbie not far behind

"He's probably going to Mt Hakabe to look for Macao" Said somebody who he couldn't care to name

"Such a child" he muttered to himself

Thankfully the guild fight had been brief, mainly due to Master's interference. She couldn't help but wonder if the paperwork he had to go through to ensure that she could join the guild was as big as the pile he had just held, and if he had burned that as well.

While Tobi was musing over her various mundane thoughts, a certain newbie had managed to make her way undetected to the shadow mages table. At least, she was undetected until she had sat on the opposite side of the booth to Tobi.

"Hi"

Tobi slowly peered over the pages of her book, a glare evident on her face, before looking the girl up and down. Ok, so maybe she wasn't a girl. That huge chest of hers rivalled Erza's, and her own once again seemed puny in comparison. Tobi's eyebrows narrowed in annoyance, this one was already getting on her nerves.

"What?"

The girl seemed a little put out by her stark reply. "Erm… My name's Lucy and I've just joined the guild"

"I noticed"

The Lucy person went quiet for a moment, giving Tobi more time to observe her and note that she was a Celestial Spirit mage. _Interesting…_

"Does the guild really fight like that all the time?"

Again, the blonde girl was interrupting her thoughts, although now she was leaning in slightly.

Deciding to get rid of her now before this Lucy invaded even more of her personal space, Tobi turned back to her book and replied, "Your annoying me, please go away"

With her attention fixed firmly on the book, she heard rather then saw the other girl's huff of irritation before stalking off. Exhaling a breath she hadn't realised she was holding, the shadow mage waited a moment before checking the whereabouts of the blonde.

Lucy was sitting at the bar chatting to Drake. Tobi smirked inwardly at the thought of her (sort-of) rival trying to keep up with the bubbly, glass-is –always-half-full mage. Then her smirk (still inwardly) grew at the thought of the Celestial mage trying to keep up with Natsu's childish, attention-span-of-a-goldfish attitude. Oh, this could be an interesting development in the guild… that she will of course observe with appropriate attention.

The guild was slowly beginning to get louder now that Dragneel was back, which Tobi didn't like one bit. After a brief showdown between the Master and young Romeo, the shadow mage was preparing to leave before someone drunkenly tried to get her to 'socialise'. Then Dragon boy, the cat and the newbie all left on some rushed decision to help Macao on , leaving the guild a few decibels quieter then before.

_It won't last though,_ she thought, _I should probably grab another request tomorrow, as no doubt Salamander will be back by then causing even more trouble…_


	4. Chapter 4: The Daily Battles

AN

Tonia: Hey guys! I am the friend who is co-writing this with Jake. I would just like to take this moment to apologise for the incredibly late update, and would like to point out that I finished my part in this chapter _weeks_ ago. However, _**someone**_ *glare pointedly at Jake* was far too busy to finish _**his**_. Anyway, enjoy!

To say that Drake was annoyed would be a huge understatement. Natsu's "rescue" of Macao wasn't the worst thing in the world, if anything the only thing that was hurt was Macao's pride. Drake was annoyed because what Natsu had done was reckless and childish and he got praised for it.

Hearing Natsu's over-enthusiastic voice made Drake grit his teeth in frustration. He looked around the guild hall to notice that one particular corner looked less evil and sinister. "So Tobi isn't here then" Drake muttered to himself. "She probably went on a request, perhaps I should take one I could always use more jewel"

Drake made his way up to the request board, occasionally ducking to dodge a chair, table or person being flung in his direction.

Drake stared at the request board, scanning it for a job worth taking. He noticed the word strip. The word circulated his mind before he turned around and hastily made his way out of the building, a few guild mates laughing at his expense as he slammed the door.

"Perhaps some training instead" Drake muttered, that one word still in his mind, making him shudder at the thought of it.

The group of bandits laughed drunkenly around a splintered wooden bench, boasting of their recent ambush. It wasn't the wholehearted cheerful drunkenness that Tobi's guild members usually displayed. No, this was a scornful, jeering kind of intoxication that left a bad taste in her mouth.

"Did you see that geezers face when I put my knife against his throat?" one of them bragged as he stood up, wobbling slightly, "I recon he was about to piss himself!"

"Pffff…"another replied, also getting up, "As if Flynn. He was probably trying not to laugh when your voice broke"

"Whhhaaatt!" cried Flynn, his voice raising several decibels.

The group hooted and jeered as the two males proceeded to brawl sloppily. Both of them too wrecked to land a proper blow.

Tobi sighed inwardly from her corner, her shadow blend rendering her practically invisible to the naked eye; it was times like this when she really missed the guild. At least with Gray and Natsu the fight would be somewhat entertaining….so long as no missiles were sent her way.

_'Let's get this over with then,' _she thought,_ 'It took me long enough to track down the slimy buggers'_

Remaining hidden, Tobi raised her arms up and pointed them towards the bandits. Thin ribbons of the shadows behind her began to wrap themselves like snakes around her arms, with the endings filtering through her fingers and hanging loosely towards the ground. (AN: Get it? Like a whip that has her arms as the handle).

"Shadow whips!" she whispered, as she flicked her wrists out, the long shadows easily wrapping themselves around the two nearest men's legs and flinging them across the room.

As Tobi expertly spun her body and twisted her arms to maximise the ability of her twin whips, the other bandits barely had time to realise they were being attacked before they found themselves being hurled into a nearby wall.

A few moments later, and the shadow mage allowed her whips to recede. Surrounding her was the pitiful, now unconscious gang whom had been ambushing travellers in the area.

'That wasn't very thrilling" she muttered, as she exited the crumbling warehouse that until very recently had been a bandit's hideout, 'But I guess a job worth 50,000 jewels isn't going to be'

Looking up, Tobi allowed herself to smile slightly at the full moon, whose gentle rays lit up the surrounding forest. She always had liked the thought that something up there was stopping the world from being in total darkness, stopping her from forever losing control…

Drake finally left the bustling town of Magnolia and headed towards the woods. He followed a path that was barely visible, which was covered in overgrown roots and plant life. The actual path was littered with rocks and many small insignificant insects, which skittered tirelessly across the earth looking for some place to feed.

He breathed in the forest air as the atmosphere took him in his memories of the path took other as he got trapped in his thoughts. This was always his place to vent and now was as good as time as any.

A soft, barely audible growl pierced the air. Drake instinctively stooped and crouched in a combat position. He stayed perfectly still, his eyes darting left and right, looking for any movement in the thick plant life in front of him. The world became perfectly silent as Drake focused on where the noise came from.

As if on cue, a shadow flew out into the clearing, its aim as true as an arrow and its aim was at Drake. Drake barely sidestepped the missile as it landed on the ground behind him swiftly. Drake spun around his staff held in a sideways position in front of him. He was staring into the bloody red eyes of a wolf. Both of them narrowed their eyes, almost daring each other to lunge.

The wolf took the dare and went straight for the throat, hoping to get his meal quickly. Drake spun his staff around while he turned to the side. His staff hit the wolf on the underbelly. The wolf let out a surprised whimper of pain as it tumbled to the ground. It quickly recuperated and began its charge again. Drake calmly gestured his hand down, as if he was telling the feral beast to sit, like a house-trained dog. The wolf legs crumpled beneath him, leaving him unable to move.

"Gravity bubble" Drake whispered, not wanting to attract attention, he formed a circle with his hands and lifted them into the air. The wolf lifted along with his hands, as if it was trapped in a ball. "Gravity push" Drake forcefully commanded. The wolf followed its commands, although not willingly as it was pushed throughout the trees by Drakes outstretched hand. The immense gravity change almost blew the trees away.

After he was sure that nothing else would blind side him he replaced his staff to its original place across his back. He turned without a second glance, or a sigh of relief, as he neared his destination.

Drake got to a clearing in the forest. Many different sized boulders covered the area, as well as a somewhat large river jutting through the middle separating the clearing into two halves. Drake strode up to the stream and sighed contently. He loved this place, it was so peaceful and quiet, hardly anyone knows about this place either. In fact Drake only discovered it by accident when he was fourteen.

He looked down at the crystal clear river, which acted almost like a mirror. He saw his dark brown hair, the ends moving slightly above his eyes. His dark blue/purple jacket, unzipped showing his white shirt underneath. His worn combat boots, which needed fixing rather badly. Drake splashed some water into his face to make sure he was awake and turned around to begin his training.

Tobi strolled through the forest, the early morning light peeking through the leaves, but unable to reach her face through her hood. After collecting her reward from the mayor of the town who posted the request, she had decided to walk the few miles back to magnolia and save on the train fare. This had turned out to be the wrong decision, as a particularly persistent Vulcan had decided that she was to be his new 'woman' and just wouldn't leave her alone.

Briefly she wondered if that loud mouthed dragon slayer was still at the guild, and if that big breasted Lucy girl was there too. She inwardly scowled. 'Who do I have to kill to get even close to that size' the shadow mage thought, while glancing down at her own, miniscule pair that were barely visible through her tight, black jacket, 'surely she's used some kind of surgery or pills...we are the same age for god's sake! I can't be that far behind in the puberty department…'

Eventually, Tobi came to the clearing that told her she was an hour's walk from Magnolia, only to find she wasn't alone.

There was young man in the middle of the field, performing various exercises with military precision. After a moment, she realised it was Drake.

It didn't take him long to realise she was there. Who wouldn't notice a small-ish figure dressed entirely in black standing in a field?

Her sort-of rival nodded at her in greeting. She nodded back.

Not stopping his routine, Drake asked, "How was the mission?"

"Boring" was her one worded reply.

He nodded again and didn't ask more.

Normally, Tobi would have just left. She didn't believe in long conversations. This time though, she found she wasn't ready to leave yet, and that made her confused. Of course, no betraying emotion flickered across her face while her mind tried to work out what was causing her to stay.

"How is your training?" The words left her mouth before she realised where they had come from.

Drake paused mid-stretch, before continuing. "Alright I guess"

Tobi nodded, astounded to find the strange feeling was gone as suddenly as it had appeared. Without another word, she left the clearing and continued on her way back to Magnolia.

_'What was that all about?'_ she wondered,_ 'Wait. Am i actually starting to care again?! About others?!"_

Pausing in her tracks, her mind frantically sifting through all of the past few day's occurrences, trying to find the trigger to this new development.

_'No'_, she concluded, after coming up with nothing, _'It must have been a stomach ache. Probably brought on by that stupid vulcan'_

Drake spent the night in the clearing, using his jacket as cover as he camped under the stars. As he awoke he concluded that it was early morning, due to the suns position in the sky.

"I might as well do some stretches before I go back" Drake thought " and Natsu and the new girl might be gone by then" he added gleefully. As he was doing his morning routine. He sensed a familiar yet unfamiliar force. He turned and noticed a small figure in a dressed completely in black.

"It must be Tobi" thought Drake "why didn't she take the train back?". He nodded a greeting, before going back to his stretches.

"How was the mission?" he said simply

"Boring" Tobi replied

"She never gives more than one word answers" Drake thought confused, but didn't stop his routine. After a while Tobi spoke up out of no where

"How was the training?" she said sharply, slightly taken aback a paused mid stretched before replying with "Alright I guess". After that Tobi quickly left the clearing, presumably heading back to the guild hall.

Drake stopped his stretches and started to walk back to guild, not long after she left. He couldn't help but continually think "Why did she ask a question, she never does that". Drake had absolutely no clue. He finally came across Magnolia in its early hours. It was surprisingly peaceful, most were still asleep.

He jogged to the guild, passing many shop owners opening up for the day. As he stood in front of the guild hall, he paused for a few seconds, unable to open the doors of his youth. "I really hope that stripper request is gone" thought Drake. "Cause somebody is going to shove that in my face otherwise".


	5. Chapter 5: Reactions of Scarlett

AN: Wow. Another late update. Again we can only apologise, (although maybe a review to let us know how this is going would be a great motivator!). Our excuses this time revolve around volunteer work in Kenya (which was amazing!) and school work (ugh…mock exams soon…)

R and R please

"It's Erza! She's back!" was the terrified cry from Loke that snapped Tobi out of her current daze. She had previously been staring intently at a certain celestial mage (carefully around her book of course, she wasn't a stalker!), and wondering why the laws of balance had not sent the blonde mage falling onto her face. 'Those heels… with those boobs… how could it be possible!' the young shadow mage thought jealously. Although she would never admit that even the great, disinterested-in-absolutely-everyone Tobi was currently getting a visit from the green eyed monster.

As it were, she scowled inwardly before returning to her book, trying to ignore the sounds of panic coming from her guild members at the prospect of a visit from the mighty Erza Scarlett. Hearing rather than seeing the ever so slightly dramatic entrance of the requip mage, Tobi attempted to concentrate on her book, _'The Balam Alliance is an alliance between three of the most powerful Dark Guilds in the world. Although referred to as an alliance, the three guilds do not co-operate with each other at all. It is only an act of peace between the three. In X784, they controlled all known dark guilds…'_

"Tobi" came a booming voice that could only belong to a certain red head, "Socialise!"

Very slowly, said mage lowered her book enough to glare at the commanding woman, who wasn't even looking at her. The shadows around her darkened slightly. The shadow mage's annoyance was intensified when her eye caught that of Drake, who seemed to be smirking at her. 'Or I may be imagining it… he probably doesn't know how to smirk…' Whatever facial expression the boy was trying to pull was quickly wiped off his face when Erza gave him an order of his own.

"Drake, No weapons on the bar!"

Outside, Tobi went on reading. Inside, she couldn't help but giggle slightly at his horrified expression. She could have sworn that he hissed as he clutched his regal, well-maintained staff to his chest.

Suddenly, Natsu leaped at the Requip mage, yelling something that sound suspiciously like, "Fight Me!" only to be sent spiralling into a nearby wall. "Later Natsu, we have more important things to be getting on with".

"I would also like to challenge you Erza," Drake said monotonously, although she sensed that he was still miffed at the staff comment.

The scarlet haired woman regarded him up and down before replying, "Very well, but please wait a few days. I have some things to attend to"

Erza left the guild soon after with Natsu, Grey and Lucy, something about Lullaby? _'It must be important for her to try and get those two to work together… I'm sure they can handle it…'_

"I think this might be the start of Fairytails strongest team…" Tobi heard Mirajane murmur.

Peering around from behind her book, the shadow mage noticed a very shocked looking Drake staring at Mira with his jaw open onto the bar. Again, Tobi had to supress a giggle, only Drake would take offense at such an off-handed comment.

She on the other hand, had no qualms about them being known as the strongest team. Tobi was a solo mission kind of person, teammates could get injured…or killed; she might not stay sane if she had to go through that again.

Natsu groaned loudly from the middle of the train, his face a nasty shade of green. She was sitting by the window, the scenery flying by her as they moved further away from Magnolia. Gray and Erza were sitting opposite her in silence, Gray trying (and failing) to control his laughter at Natsu's predicament.

Taking advantage of the moment of peace, Lucy thought about how quickly her life had changed. The liveliness of Fairy Tail was exactly as she had imagined. All the people in there were so energetic and friendly. Well except for two specific people that came to mind, two people that completely disregarded her. Drake who seemingly spent all his days cleaning his staff at the bar, not taking anyone or anything to notice. Then Tobi who had murder in her eyes whenever you were five metres close to her.

Finally Lucy's thoughts formulated into words.

"So… can I ask about two people in the guild?" Lucy asked, uncertainly. Erza looked at Lucy curiously for a moment before nodding her head.

"You see… everyone at the guild is always so friendly and welcoming to everyone, apart from Tobi and Drake"

Erza thought about it for a second, before replying. "Well, Drake came to the guild a few years after I did, and Tobi four years after that. Like most of us, they came to the guild with a history that they don't choose to share"

"With Tobi specifically…well…she's always been a difficult one. Master has never pressed her on her past as far as I know, but it took her a while to adjust to life in the guild. You understand how overzealous they can be. It took us a while to realise that the reason she was attacking us was because she can't stand people being in her personal space."

Erza paused for a moment, memories of a 14 year-old Tobi screaming 'Don't touch me!' in the middle of the guild hall entering her mind.

"Since then we've learnt that giving her some space almost turns her into a normal human being."

"I know she can come across as an emotionless she-devil sometimes" continued Gray, chuckling slightly "but after a while you realise it's all an act. Her body language usually gives her true feelings away even if her face is blank"

"But why would she hide herself from you all?"

Erza and Gray were both silent for another moment, before Erza replied, "Different people take longer to move past what's holding them back. But she is getting there. Tobi's improved a lot in the past few years".

"Ok then what about Drake?" Lucy enquired still a bit livid about the way he spoke to her, "he seems a bit rude"

"He just dislikes all new people who come in" Gray muttered

"No" Erza retorted "I don't believe that's it". Lucy raised an eyebrow at that._"He doesn't seem to understand why people do things"_

"What do you mean by that?" questioned Lucy

"I'm not sure myself" Erza muttered despairingly "But he should eventually be ok with you, even if he doesn't understand"

Lucy was now more confused about the two mystery mages, but she thought to just give it time and perhaps she will be accepted by them.

It was finally the day of Natsu's fight against Erza, seemingly half the city was gathered, just to watch this event. Of course Drake took a front row seat, near some of his guild mates; he needed to analyse the fight and try to pinpoint any weaknesses that Erza may show.

Gray arrived with Lucy, who was freaking out about two guild members fighting and how it may ruin their team, some rubbish like that.

"She refuses to adapt" Drake thought inwardly sighing "she doesn't realise that Natsu practically lives through fighting". Drake looked at the betting board that Cana was manning, seeing the almost equal bets for both contenders. "Idiots, Erza is obviously going to win". So of course Drake had entered his bet on Erza, might as well get some easy money.

The fight had just begun, with Erza switching to her armour of choice, as the two clashed. Even Drake had to admit that Natsu was faring better this time… Doesn't change the fact that he's going to get kicked to the dirt.

"Hah so much for strongest team" Drake muttered with direction to Lucy, as Natsu and Erza went to clash, magical auras blossoming around them. That is until the frog came.

It all happened in a blur, one minute the fight was underway and the next Erza was arrested. Drake barely realised that he was in the guild hall, trying to avoid the urge to crush Natsu, Who's at this point trapped in a bottle. Natsu continued to beg to be let out, "Won't work" thought Drake. "We all know what you will do". Almost all the guild seem to agree with his thoughts, apart from Lucy, but at this point Drake didn't care what she thought.

"If we let you go, what will you do?" Drake asked Natsu who was starting to be just a little bit louder with his wailing"

"Nothing! I swear" Natsu begged

"You'll probably run to council doors and start beating on them till guards surround you" Drake replied "it's too risky to let you go, you'll just give the guild an even worse reputation with the council". Despite his warning. The master still let him out. "Oh well he's too far away anyway to d…" He started to think.

Drake's thoughts halted as he witnessed the salamander… thing in a bottle like a firefly. Turn into Macao.

"Macao!?" the entire guild screamed in confusion. After explaining his reasons, everyone was in a mixed state of shocked, surprised and angry. Drake was definitely in the latter. He strode to the nearest window in a furious state. He sat their staring, waiting for the council soldiers to come and capture them all.

Drake woke up from the bar, and rubbed his head, which was in minor pain. "Curse you Mystogen" Drake muttered, he turned around to see everyone informing Lucy about what just happened, mainly about the fact that nobody has seen his face.

"I've seen his face" Said an arrogant, mocking voice, Drake arched his head upwards to see laxus, perched up on the second floor, his face filled with a hatred that mirrored Drake. Natsu quickly sprung up in a vain attempt to fight Laxus, but was quickly subdued by Makarov.

"Even if you were able to that would be a stupid idea" thought Drake. Laxus was a strong contender to being the strongest mage in the guild. Natsu didn't stand any chance against him. "And neither do I". He looked at the second floor with envy, he could only imagine the jobs up there.

After suffering through more of Laxus's gloating he finally rose up from the bar and sharply walked out. Nobody seemingly noticing his disappearance.

"If I can beat an S-class mage, surely master will allow me to become S-class" Drake determinately whispered to himself.


End file.
